Press Release - Versailles - Château de Versailles

Versailles under construction
The development plan
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In 2003, the Public Establishment of the Palace, Museum and National Estate of Versailles and
the Ministry of Culture and Communication announced the implementartion of the “Grand
Versailles” plan: a large-scale development project. It is the largest programme of works in
the former royal estate since the reign of Louis-Philippe.
The development
plan programme
three priorites
- Restoration of the historical monument and
its decoration;
- Safety upgrade of the entire site by
improving the safety systems for visitors and
buildings;
- Improvement of reception facilities for
visitors with a wider range of visits and a
simplification of the access modes.
End of the first phase
The work undertaken in the first phase (2004-
2012) concerned the safety update and
modernisation of the utility networks, the
improvement of the reception conditions,
restorations and replacements.
After the restoration of the Hall of Mirrors
thanks to the sponsorship of Vinci, important
sponsors invested in this first phase of work:
Nexans for the supply of cables, Monnoyeur for
the rebuilding of the Royal railings and gate and
the restoration of the roofs of the central
section, and Montres Breguet for the restoration
of the Petit Trianon. Apart from some safety
update work remaining to be done in the Palace,
the final project of the first phase concerns the
Dufour Pavilion.
Announced in 2011 after the invitation to tender
procedure, the project presented by Dominique
Perrault was chosen for the refurbishment of
the Dufour Pavilion and the old wing of the
Palace of Versailles.
The Dufour Pavilion and the old wing of the
Palace of Versailles currently houses the
administrative and technical departments
which, following their move to the Grand
Commun – currently being restored – will be
assigned to four principal functions:
- the ground floor of the Princes Courtyard, the
corridors and services (cloakrooms, toilets, etc.),
- the courtyard ground floor, reception,
inspection and information for individual
visitors. Lastly, the reception of the public will